Women's rain gear has come into its own. Gone are the days when a raincoat, umbrella and rain boots are nothing more than a utilitarian way to keep dry.
The contemporary equivalent of the British-inspired Wellington boot hit the U.S. market in Fall 2000. These “pattern wellies” or printed novelty rain boots were sellouts with their floral print designs. Now, other designers and boot manufacturers have followed suit by creating tall and short rain boots, as well as ankle height Chelsea style rain boots and rubber clogs featuring stripes, polka dots, plaids and more.
These fashion-forward rain boots have created a new niche in the women's rain gear category. Previously, the only choices for women's protective footwear for rainy weather have been black or green knee high Wellingtons; black rubber galoshes; low casual rubber boots (i.e. Muck or duck boots); gardening boots or clogs; jogging overshoes; and the clear plastic/rubber hybrid overshoes for high heel shoes with heels no higher than 1½″.
However, when women dress in business attire or evening wear, accessorized with high heel shoes averaging well in excess of 1½″, the need for protective footwear for rain which provides both aesthetic satisfaction and physical functionality has yet to be adequately addressed.
What is currently needed by women who have a closet full of shoes with heels of all different heights, is a fashionable protective shoe cover that will not only look good, but will offer the unique benefit of helping reduce the teetering from side-to-side inherent when they wear high heel shoes, particularly when wearing the shoes inside a shoe cover in inclement weather conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,075,930 (the '930 patent) shows a shoe cover that can accommodate shoes with heels of unspecified height, having a fairly rigid and slip-resistant sole. However, the shoe cover of the '930 patent has a multitude of cumbersome fasteners, does not have a means for fastening the shoe cover to the wearer's ankle or calf, and does not prevent or minimize teetering in high heel shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,068,238 (the '238 patent) shows a shoe cover that is waterproof, but that does not have the capability of protecting a shoe with a high heel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,422 (the '422 patent) shows a disposable shoe cover, but it does not have a sufficiently rigid, anti-slip sole, or fasteners to secure the wearer's shoe into the shoe cover. The '422 patent shows a shoe cover that can accommodate shoes with heels of unspecified height. However, the shoe cover of the '422 patent does not have a slip-resistant or sufficiently rigid sole, is devoid of any type of fastener, and does not minimize teetering in high heel shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,527 (the '527 patent) shows a shoe cover that is disposable, can accommodate shoes with heels of unspecified height, and has a slip-resistant sole. However, the shoe cover of the '527 patent has a fastener only at the ankle of the boot which would not secure a high heel shoe inside the boot, the sole is not rigid, and the shoe cover does not have a means of minimizing teetering in high heel shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,336 (the '336 patent) shows a protective shoe cover that is waterproof or water-resistant and collapsible for ease of carrying in a purse. A plurality of elastic bands are positioned along different portions of the shoe cover to properly position the shoe cover on the wearer's leg and over the wearer's shoe or boot. The heel member (28) and the sole member (30) constitute reinforcing members to provide a durable walking surface. However, it would be very difficult to insert a high heel shoe into the opening of the shoe cover of the '336 patent and down the body of the boot. Although the shoe cover of the '336 patent can accommodate shoes with heels of unspecified height, has a slip-resistant sole and ankle fastener, the sole is not sufficiently rigid, and it does not have a means of minimizing teetering in high heel shoes. Further, the boot of the '336 patent is not disposable, the elastic band that gathers the boot material onto the arch of the boot could be hazardous if bulky gatherings get caught on an uneven slippery surface. Additionally, the separate heel and sole portions do not provide the same amount of security as would a heel and sole constructed in the same piece. Lastly, a tall, narrow heel such as a spike heel would not be strong enough to hold down the heel portion of the boot and can cause a tripping hazard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,485 (the '485 patent) shows a slip resistant, disposable shoe cover with a body formed of a flexible, foldable, sheet material, the shoe cover comprising a bottom rib formed of a strip of flexible, stretchable, resilient and slip-resistant material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,018 (the '018 patent) and German Patent No. DE 3,606,837 (the '837 patent) show a shoe cover that has the advantage of being extendible in bootleg coverage, but it is not disposable or compact for carrying in a purse.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,556 (the '556 patent) and published U.S. Pat. No. 0,088,997 (the '997 patent) show shoe covers that can accommodate heeled shoes of varying height, but these shoe covers are not disposable in nature and do not cover the ankle of the wearer. Furthermore, the soles of these shoe covers, although they have tread patterns, do not provide for increased ground contact effectively making the wearer walk on snow and ice in high heels with treads. The shoe covers of the '556 patent and the '997 patent have extendible heels, are devoid of any type of fastener, and do not minimize teetering in high heel shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,240 (the '240 patent) shows a shoe cover for receiving a shoe or boot that has mud or dirt thereon so as to permit a person entering a house or other clean environment to enter without depositing mud therein. Although the shoe cover of the '240 patent provides a sufficiently rigid sole, it is for indoor use, does not have a slip-resistant sole, does not accommodate high heel shoes, and does not have a means of creating tension at the heel to provide the wearer of high heel shoes with greater stability. The '240 patent has gripping action on the interior surface of the sole of the shoe cover, however, it does not provide for securing the shoe cover around a front section of the shoe and on the leg so that the wearer's shoe is not positively engaged by any portion of the shoe cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,245 (the '245 patent) shows a protective boot structure having an innersole including a plate (37) of relatively rigid material such as cardboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,258 (the '258 patent) shows a flexible shoe cover that shields shoes from scratches and abrasions. The shoe cover of the '258 patent has an upper member that extends over a front top portion of a shoe, a lower member extending below a front sole portion of the shoe and extending toward the heel of the shoe, and an intermediate flexible portion connected between the upper member and the lower member. Although the shoe cover of the '258 patent can accommodate high heel shoes and has a slip-resistant sole, its sole is not sufficiently rigid. Further, the shoe cover does not have a fastener at the opening of the leg shaft and does not have a means of providing tension at the heel.
There is a need for a device that would decrease the side-to-side teetering inherent when wearing high heel shoes, thereby increasing the balance and therefore stabilization of the wearer's high heel shoe, foot and ankle thereby lessening the possibility of tripping. In particular, the present invention relates to heel stabilization technology consisting of a tension and counter tension at and/or near the heel of the wearer's footwear. As will be seen in this patent application, this tension and counter tension can be provided in a variety of embodiments.